Martha Stewart's Winter Decorated Front Porch Is So Simple You Can Do It Too

When the holidays roll around, it can be tempting to give in to the pressure to deck your house in the most jaw-dropping festive decor you can find in order to impress visitors and neighbors. This can be especially true with ever-changing Christmas decor trends that frequently demand different colors, patterns, and themes based on what has recently become popular. But you can rest easy this year, because well-known DIY and design expert Martha Stewart has shown us how to create a festive, trendy front porch design without all the extra bells and whistles. 

The two keys to Stewart's front porch display this year are the color green and a sense of simplicity. Her photoshoot, taken for a December issue of her 'Martha Stewart Holidays' magazine, available on Amazon, features luscious greenery draped over the entryway to create a simple yet inviting entrance to the home. She continues this clean aesthetic not with loud, colorful string lights but with a gentle thread of icy-white bulbs that twist around the foliage to create a beautiful sparkle. She enhances that look of sweet, festive simplicity by keeping the porch relatively bare, ensuring that the more subtle decorations have plenty of space to shine. Well, if this design is so uncomplicated and straightforward, does that mean you could recreate it on your own front porch? Absolutely!

To design your own Martha Stewart-inspired porch this season, it's a good idea to take stock of what you have on your porch. The inspiration photo shows a stripped-back porch with only a few unassuming elements, such as a shabby-chic bench and a simple brown planter. Have a look at your current front porch and consider removing anything that draws the eye or that features bright colors, which may clash with the clean, green-and-white color scheme.

Next, you'll want to select some greenery like the simple draped garland in Stewart's example. You can either purchase faux greenery for a long-lasting look or, for a sustainable option, look for some evergreen plants you can harvest from your own yard for stunning holiday greenery. If you are interested in hanging different decor throughout the year — such as banners for the 4th of July or cobwebs for Halloween — then you may want to consider installing permanent hooks or nails. If not, then adhesive strips are a great way to temporarily hang seasonal decor without causing lasting damage. 

Finally, you will need to choose your lights. There are a huge number of holiday lighting options available these days, but to really follow Stewart's lead, you will want to opt for a cooler tone that gives an icy, wintery look, such as these Waterproof Connectible Christmas Lights. Alternatively, if you're looking to recreate this look on a budget, you could repurpose string lights you already have around your home, such as on your back patio, in a bedroom, or in other decor.